The Path of Zuko
by Avatar Zuki
Summary: Zuko, triggered by the death of Aang, travels all around the world in order to become more spiritual and finally find his inner peace. Enjoy! *I don't own a:tla. Unfortunately.* Rated T to be sure. HIATUS, I don't know when I'll continue, I'm blocked with this story.
1. A sudden notice

_**Chapter 1**_

"Fire Lord. I have to announce you something important."

Zuko opened his eyes. _What now? _It was the first time he slept peacefully in months –Mai's absence made his brain restless. He had completely cleared it up to the Kyoshi Warriors; _nobody should wake him up_.

He turned around and saw Suki standing in front of him, shaking. It seemed serious; she had a terrified look in her face. Zuko felt a chill in his chest. He had a feeling that something was totally wrong. "What is it?"

The woman burst into tears. "Zuko, it's…it's Aang." She paused. "He is very sick. Katara sent us a message; we need to get to Republic City. Aang wants to meet you before…" She sighed. "I don't even want to think of it."

Zuko's eyes widened. He got up, shocked and speechless. How could he believe what he had just heard? _Aang…dying. _"No," he muttered, having lost conscience of his body and his mind.

"I…I'm afraid that _yes_, Zuko. I'm sorry." Her face fell. "We have to leave as soon as we can. Everybody is waiting for us. _Aang _is waiting for us."

He took a deep breath. "Let's wake Rongyu up. With him, we can get to Republic City really fast..." Rongyu was his dragon; some years ago, he and Aang decided that both Air Bisons and Dragons should not become extinct. Aang found a pack of Bisons in the Eastern Air Temple and Zuko helped Ran and Shaw mate. The dragons had many children, and Rongyu was one of them.

Zuko and Suki rushed out of the man's bedroom, running towards the small building in which Rongyu resided. Suki looked at Zuko in surprise. "Aren't you getting _dressed_?" He was still wearing his pyjamas. He looked at her angrily. "There is no time!" he shouted.

Eventually, they found Rongyu. Zuko caressed the top of his head. "Wake up, pal," he whispered. The dragon opened its eyes. "You have to take us to Republic City as fast as you can." They rode him, and began flying.

"My best friend," he thought, gazing at the horizon. "The savior of the world. The savior of _myself_. He is dying."His eyes filled with tears, but he wiped them off. He was shimmering; it was cold in the sky, and his thoughts made the weather even colder. What would he do if Aang really died? He couldn't imagine his life without him. He was his best friend, the only one who knew how to keep him sane. If he left, how would the Fire Lord survive?

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize that they had reached the Air Island. "Zuko," Suki whispered, fondling his shoulder affectionately. "We're there." He suddenly raised his back up, getting off Rongyu and running at full velocity towards the temple. Suki followed him.

Zuko opened the door of Katara and Aang's house. Everybody was there; Sokka, Toph, Tenzin, Lin, Bumi, Kya… All of Aang's closest people had gathered there to say goodbye. He hadn't seen them for about two years –they hadn't changed at all. Toph was pretending to be strong, but it was obvious that she wasn't; so did Lin. Tenzin had leaned on Katara's shoulder, while Kya and Bumi were hugging each other. Sokka was shaking. Katara was holding Aang's hand and he, he was just staring at them, peacefully. He looked at Zuko and Suki. "It's great to see you here, my friends. It's been a long time."

Zuko burst into tears. Yes, it had been a _really _long time; they hadn't met for two years, which means since Mai got sick. It was ironic; first, he lost Mai. Now, he was losing _Aang…_

He rushed to him, and held his other hand with all his strength, as if he was trying to keep me from leaving. He looked at Katara. "Can't we do something?"

A tear flowed to her cheek. "I'm sorry Zuko. I tried my best."

Aang sighed. "Why are you all so depressed? After all, I'll come back in about a second after I die."

They all looked down silently. Aang didn't like to see them like that. "Come on…" he whispered, weakly. He felt a chill in his neck. He knew it was _time._

He looked at Zuko. He smiled; it was like he was trying to tell him something, something above words. The man felt a warm wave of affection and appreciation in his heart. Then, Aang gazed at Katara, his eyes slowly closing. The tears were falling off her eyes without her even understanding it. Aang grinned. "I…I need to ask you something…"

"What?" Katara sighed, her voice shaking.

"Please... come closer… " he whispered.

Katara went closer to his face, feeling the air he breathed coming to her face. "What is it, Aang?"

He grinned weakly.

"Will you go penguin sledding with me?"

At that moment, his eyes closed forever.

Zuko's breath got faster and heavier. He felt as if somebody was strangling him. He felt like the people around him were suffocating him, like below Aang's dead body, there was a black hole, wiping out all of the Fire Lord's hopes and emotions.

He ran away from everybody, banging the door behind him.

Suki looked at the door. Toph touched her shoulder. "He needs some time on his own. You know how Zuko is; he wants to seem like a brave and strong person, but when he has to deal with loss, he is uncontrollable." Her voice was shaking. They all felt like Zuko did; they just didn't use to express themselves in that way.

Katara kept holding Aang's hand. _Will you go penguin sledding with me? _This line killed her. He was _too _young to leave. He was only 66 years old! _Damn time in the iceberg. _But of course, if it wasn't for that, they would have never met. In fact, she wouldn't have even met Toph or Zuko. The world would be totally different. She glared at her children. They wouldn't exist either if Aang wasn't in that iceberg. She smiled at them, while tears were still flowing off her cheeks.

Sokka came closer to his sister and hugged her. Toph held her other hand. Suki looked at them. They were such a beautiful family –she never had the chance to have one. She never really enjoyed being romantic with anybody –whatever she had with Sokka had stopped being romantic decades ago, and since then, she devoted herself to the Kyoshi Warriors, who had unexpectedly become the Fire Lord's guards –a nice job, indeed. The Fire Nation was entirely different from the Kyoshi Island and it was nice living there. But all of this didn't matter; Aang was gone. Her face fell, but then, a thought came to her mind; at that exact moment, a new, young Avatar was being born in one of the Water Tribes. Aang was coming back. She sighed. "I'm going to see what Zuko's up to," she announced, leaving the broken family alone.

There was a beautiful, soothing breeze outside. The air was blowing among the branches of the trees and the sea was really calm. It felt like all the spirits had come to Earth, welcoming Aang back giving the breath of life to the new Avatar.

Suki looked around her. "Zuko! Where are you?" she shouted. After a while, she spotted him inside the meditation pavilion.

He was gazing at the ocean which was separating the United Nations from the Fire Nation. It was a long time since he last crossed this ocean. He was wielding over Mai's death; a waste of time indeed –his wife's death couldn't be reversed. He could have just as well spent these two years with his best friend. They could remember how the good old days, when they were restless and eager to change the world. He owed _so much _to his friend –if it wasn't for him, he would probably still be craving for something as stupid as restoring his honor.

He felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" It was Suki's voice. Zuko had got quite close with her since the Kyoshi Warriors became his official guards –Suki was the one who protected him, the one who made sure that everybody was as the Fire Lord wanted them to be. She could easily tell whether he felt bad or not, so this question was practically unnecessary.

He didn't answer. He just sighed. He was incapable of crying; it was as if everything had dried off inside him. "Zuko, come on; Aang is going to be reborn, don't you know it? In fact, he may have _already _been reborn. He is still here!" she smiled.

Zuko looked at her angrily. "What is it that you don't understand? The _Avatar _is being reborn. Not _Aang_. Aang is dead. I don't really know what that means, he might be chilling in the spirit world or just floating around the air, but what matters is that _HE IS FREAKING DEAD, SUKI_!" He turned to the sea and released some huge fireballs to extinguish his anger.

Suki frowned. "I…I know he is dead, Zuko. It was a great loss for me too. He changed my life. Well, maybe not as much as he changed yours, but he did."

Zuko looked at her again. "We're not staying here for a long time," he whispered. "We'll stay for the funeral, and then, go back home. I have to rest. I _need _to rest." He was going crazy. It was obvious. Suki had understood it, but she wouldn't dare pointing it out –that would destroy him. But how couldn't Zuko lose his sanity when he just kept losing the people he loved?

"Maybe you should avoid attending the funeral, Zuko," she said. "It'll just make you feel worse."

"I will attend the funeral!" he screamed. "And I'll make a speech about my best friend. He deserves to be honored and I'm going to honor him, Suki!"

She sighed. "As you wish. I'll leave you alone now."

When Suki turned her back to him, Zuko began hitting the poles of the pavilion with fireballs, thinking that the woman couldn't see him. She closed her eyes, hoping that the Spirits would show the man a way to find salvation.


	2. Farewell

Zuko opened his eyes.

He had fallen asleep in the meditation pavilion.

He scratched his head; he felt a bit dizzy. Looking around, he realized that he had been sleeping for about 6 hours. Suki had probably told the others to leave him alone. She was right –he needed some time on his own. This was the most relaxing sleep he ever had; he had released all of the tension he had trapped into his flesh. His body felt weightless and free –not quite how Zuko expected it to react towards his best friend's death.

Oh. Aang had just died. His spontaneous sleep probably made him oblivious –that had happened many times to him since he reached 70. _70? But yesterday, I was 17!_

He looked down. The soil was wet –it had probably rained while he was asleep. That was quite unexpected –the day was windy. When there is wind, there is normally no rain. But of course, the whole day was abnormal –the weather just had to succumb to this condition.

He realized he was cold. He had spent so many hours, sleeping outside on his _pyjamas_. Now, he was sweating. Still, he felt more refreshed than ever before.

After walking for a while, he reached Aang and Katara's house. He went inside, and he found a nostalgic Katara, drinking tea in the balcony. She was gazing at the ocean; the storm was getting stronger and stronger.

Zuko approached her. "Are you alright?" he asked her affectionately.

She grinned, without looking directly at him. Her eyes were full of tears. "Aang used to say that nothing really dies. I hope he was right. I know the Avatar _never _dies, but now, it's not the Avatar that I care about –it's my _husband_."

He caressed her shoulder. "Katara, this is exactly what I feel too."

She leaned on his arm. "Do you think he was true?"

_I don't know. I never took all of his guru stuff seriously._ "He might be. After all, nobody knows what really happens after we die. There are infinite possibilities."

The woman wiped her tears. "The Air Acolytes have prepared a room for you in the other building. Suki, Sokka and Toph will stay there until the funeral tomorrow. I hope you stay too."

He would. He _definitely _would. "Thanks, Katara. I'll leave you alone now." Loneliness is the only therapy for grief. Zuko didn't know why, but it definitely worked when his sister passed away. He and Azula had got closer some years ago, but out of the blue, she vanished, and after some years, a couple of fishers found her body. Her case was weird, and so was her life. It was a pity; he never managed –or even tried – to understand his sister.

After a while, he reached the room which was reserved for him. It was beautiful, with a large window, through which one could see the ocean. It smelled like tea for some reason –it was probably his general nostalgia, making him remember his Uncle. _Ugh, Zuko, stop thinking!_ He thought hopelessly, starting to cry.

The door opened. From the delicate but decisive footsteps he heard, he could tell it was Suki. Zuko turned his sight away from her –he didn't want to get in contact with anybody. "What is it now? You and good news don't come together lately," he said angrily.

Suki frowned. "I only wanted to say goodnight and see if you're alright!"

"_I am not alright_. Is this that hard for you to understand?"

The woman turned her back on him. "Zuko, I know you're not alright and that's why I came here," she shouted. "But it seems that your ego is so strong that doesn't allow you to realize that there are people who care about you, right?" She sighed angrily, left the room and banged the door.

_My ego is too strong? MY ego? I have gone through all this stuff, I have the right to whine a little! _Of course, he knew he didn't whine _a little_. Since Mai died, he was hysterical every day, and since he didn't want to upset his daughter and his grandson, he took all his nerves out into Suki.

He decided there was no other solution than to go to sleep. For a moment, he thought that he should probably tell Suki to wake him up for the funeral; then, he realized he didn't need to. She was going to do so whether he told her or not.

And so she did; next morning, at 10 o' clock, Suki gently shook his shoulders and asked him to wake up. He groaned and kept complaining for some minutes, but eventually, Zuko got up.

He quickly freshened up, and put on his royal outfit –he had his servants mail them all the way from the Fire Nation. Half an hour later, altogether with his old friends, he headed to the Air Temple's graveyard.

Zuko realized in amazement that there was an excessively large crowd of people who had come to farewell Aang. He smiled. He felt that his friend was honored. That was the kind of honor he spent his whole life struggling for.

Some Air Acolytes carried Aang's coffin. As it passed through the graveyard, everybody bowed. When it eventually reached the potential grave of the Avatar, the people rose up, and an Air Acolyte who seemed to be one of the top ones approached Aang's last home, made of clear marble.

"We are here today," she said loudly, "to say goodbye to Aang, brave Avatar, loving husband to Katara, caring father to Kya, Bumi and Tenzin, founder of Republic City and Air Acolytes and the Last Airbender, except for his last son. We are all going to miss you, Aang. Farewell." Everybody bowed again.

After a few moments, Katara rose up and approached the grave to make a speech. Zuko noticed that some journalists had gathered around the area, taking pictures of the ceremony. How disrespectful for them –this was a pious and deeply personal situation; even the people who didn't know Aang in person felt that way, let alone Zuko. And these disgraceful monkeys only wanted to make money out of his friend's death.

"Aang was-"Katara didn't manage to complete her phrase, as Zuko began yelling at the journalists.

"Who invited you there, you fat baboons?" He was sweating all over his flesh, and his breath was getting too fast. "You are fucking destroying my best friend's funeral! And what for? _To sell some more freaking copies of your shitty newspapers_! You idiots, money hunters…"

Suki looked at him angrily. "Zuko!" she whispered.

"Bite me," he sighed, putting his hand on his forehead. "These bastards are destroying the whole ceremony; I _have _to tell them something!"

"Zuko," she shouted, "_You_ are the one destroying the ceremony right now!"

The man looked around him, as if he was lost. Everybody was looking at him, frowning at his overreaction. Katara was crying, and Tenzin was trying to comfort her. Zuko's heart was torn into pieces.

"I…I'm sorry," he muttered, lowering his head. "I-I'm just too upset. I can't control myself." He looked at Aang's family. "Please, forgive me."

Katara wiped her tears. "You see," she said weakly, "Aang to me, Sokka, Suki, Toph and Zuko was _much_ more than what this Air Acolyte said him to be. Aang was our savior –not in the same way than he was to the rest of humanity, though; yes, of course, he put an end to the hundred year war, he founded the united nations and did many good deeds, but to the five of us, all these seem bits and pieces, as he did much more to us. He gave us a whole new perspective and changed the way we saw the world. I could talk to you about this great achievement, but I believe that I'm not the one who should do it," she looked at Zuko, "since we all know that the Fire Nation was immediately affected by this deed of my husband."

Zuko raised his head again. He went by Katara. "Not just the Fire Nation," he said. A weak grin formed at his face. "If I hadn't met Aang, I would have left the judgement of my father affect me." His eyes tore up. "If I hadn't met Aang, I wouldn't have found myself." Spelling these words, he realised that all this time that he had spent away from Aang had changed him. He had lost himself again. He had turned into a walking machine that could shout and sleep. "Aang's life should be an inspiration to all of us," he said. "All of you should learn about him –about his life, his beliefs – and get some food for thought. Change the superficial self that you think it's you into your _real_ self." He sounded like Uncle Iroh, but what he said made perfect sense to him. It was weird.

The ceremony lasted for about another half an hour, as strangers left something symbolic to Aang. Some people left flowers, others jewellery or handmade charms –to keep Aang's spirit safe.

When everybody finally left, Katara approached Zuko and Suki. "Would you like to stay for a couple of days?" She didn't want them to say yes –she was just being kind; she needed to spend time with her family, and Zuko knew it.

"I'm sorry, Katara, but I have to refuse. I have many things to do in the Fire Nation –many things to change, actually." Suki looked at him, confused. "But I'll definitely pay you a visit in the future. I _promise_."

Katara hugged them both. "We all miss you," she said.

Zuko smiled at her. "We miss you too. But our thoughts will always be with you."

They got on Rongyu, waved at their friends, and flied to the sky.

"What did you mean when you said that there are many things to change?" Suki asked, while they were flying over the Great Ocean.

Zuko gazed at the horizon. "I've aged a lot, Suki." He sighed. "I've aged a lot, and I haven't managed to do some things I always wanted to –like, to find myself." He looked at her.

"It's about time I followed my own path," he said. "The path to my true self."


	3. Goodbye, home

Chapter 3

"Dad, you asked to see us?"

Zuko was sitting on his throne, which was circled by amber flames. He was wearing his rather uncomfortable royal uniform, and his hair were hairstyled in a ponytail, decorated with the Fire Lord's golden topknot. Princess Ursa, his daughter, had just entered the room, accompanied by her two-year-old-cute-to-death son, Iroh –they were both named after the most precious people who passed from Zuko's life. Unfortunately, it seemed to be extremely late to have a son to name him Aang.

"Yes, I did," he said, rising from the throne. He looked at his daughter. She was fourty years old –much older than the last day he was a prince. Her mind was sharp like a blade, and she was a powerful, dynamic firebender. "I want to ask you a really important favour, the last will of your old father."

Ursa's eyes widened. "Dad, wh… don't tell me that you're sick?"

Zuko laughed. "No, no, my body is as healthy as it was when I was seventeen my love –it is my mind which has aged and needs some peace."

The woman frowned, puzzled. "Get to the main point."

Zuko got down from his throne, touching the shoulder of his daughter and his grandson. "Today is going to be my last day as Fire Lord."

Ursa was shocked. "What?!"

"As you heard," the man continued, calmly. "I'm 70 years old. I've had a great reign, with peace in our nation. Everybody was rich and happy. I succeeded in helping the world. But I'm fed up of this position. I'm fed up of the palace, of the servants, of the supposingly "noble" life… Of everything. Yes, I've had all the privileges in the world during my reign, but now, it's about time I gifted them to you. You need them most. What I need is to find myself."

Ursa couldn't believe what Zuko said. "Are you crazy? What part of yourself is there to find? Weren't you supposed to have found yourself back when you saved the world?"

Zuko grinned. "Ursa. I know, I've raised you in a quite materialistic universe –I was raised in that universe as well. But there comes a point when one realises that the material is the temporal, and the non-material is the permanent. That's what I'm trying to find."

Ursa obviously couldn't understand, but she respected her father's choice and bowed at him. "I'll be glad to serve my nation."

"Oh, and something else," Zuko said, waving at her to get up, "Please, no unnecessary 'actions of respect' like bowing. I'm trying to become a humble man –don't hinder me from that."

Ursa's coronation took place the next day. Every general, soldier, rich man of the fire nation attended it –Ursa was delighted, being admired by all those people. But Zuko wasn't. It didn't feel right. _That's not what Aang fought for._

He was holding Iroh in his hand. The little boy couldn't understand what was going on –he thought it was just a theatrical play. "Grandpa, mum is the protagonist?"

Zuko sighed. "No, Iroh. Your mum is the director."

When the coronation ended, Ursa asked him to stay for the royal meal, but he denied –he wanted to leave as soon as he could.

He wanted to get out of this hypocrisy called royalty.

It was peculiar; he only understood how meaningless all these jewels, all the bowing, all the ceremonies were when Aang died. Aang was the most humble of his friends –he didn't even consider himself leader of the Air Acolytes! He was their _teacher_. He didn't want to govern anybody –who was him to do so after all? Zuko realized that he felt that way himself.

But a voice inside him kept reminding him that he was the _Fire Lord_. Royalty was in his _blood_. It was who he was.

Confused, Zuko said goodbye to his family, and went to find his dragon. "Come on, buddy," he whispered at him, "we're leaving now." He rode his faithful animal guide, and they started flying. "To the Southern Air Temple!" he yelled, as they were maneuvering among the clouds.

Zuko wasn't entirely sure that there was anybody at the Southern Air Temple –chances were that it was just the abandoned temple it had been for all those years. A memory then snapped at his mind. At a previous visit, he found _Azula_ at this Temple. He hadn't stayed there for long –he had just stopped at the Temple's entrance and, to his absolute astonishment, he had found his sister _wiping some leaves. Azula. Wiping. Leaves._

A small gasp came out of his mouth, and the woman, a white-haired and opal-eyed Azula, turned her sight towards him. To the sight of her older brother she… _smiled_.

Zuko was pretty sure that he was dreaming. He didn't feel his body –he could do nothing but stare at the woman in wonder.

"Hello, Zuzu," she said softly, with the same voice as when they were young, yet in a whole different way.

"Azula," he whispered in amazement.

The woman approached him, without losing her grin. She stood in front of him for a moment, and examined him, as if she was looking deep into his soul. Out of the blue, she hugged him tightly, like she wanted to keep him next to her, to never let him go. Zuko's eyes widened –he still couldn't believe what was going on. Yet, he wrapped his arms round her back. "I missed you, brother," she said, crying. Azula released her hug. She looked as if she wanted to unleash a fall of thoughts to him, but she just caressed his shoulder. "It's nice to see you again –look at you." She teased his topknot. "Fire Lord Zuzu." The way she pronounced the nickname was weird –she didn't say it _ironically_. It was more… _affectionately_.

Zuko held her hand. "You've changed."

She laughed. "Oh, I haven't changed. That's what my true self always was." She looked at the sky; it was cloudy –a storm was coming, one of the first of this years' fall. "I had just forgotten. And let's not lie to ourselves, Zuzu. We've all forgotten who we truly are."

Zuko didn't understand. Azula could tell –she could read his mind like an open book. She laughed. "Oh, don't worry, I'm sure you'll get what I'm trying to tell you one day."

He lowered his head. "Why are you here?"

She started wiping the leaves again. "When I left the asylum, I was at a loss –I had completely forgotten what the real world was like. I didn't know what to do. I thought I should come to the palace and continue my life as a Princess, but no, I knew that this would drive me insane again."

"So you came here?"

"Wait, I'm not finished," she continued. "Republic City had just been founded, so I thought I might be able to seek my luck there –and that's how I truly met the real world." She sighed. "And this meeting was what triggered me to come here, detach myself from earthly concerns, and find peace." She stopped wiping. "You should try that too some day, brother." Azula looked at the sky again. "I've gotta go now!" she said _cheerfully_. "My lunch is waiting for me." She gave Zuko a kiss in his cheek. "I'll see you later!"

"B-But I have to leave!" he yelled, as his sister was running towards the inner rooms of the temple.

She turned her head at him and laughed. She was happy. _Azula was Happy. _It could have been just another one of her evil tricks, but now –she _kissed _him. She said she _missed _him. She was _affectionate_. Who? _Azula!_

At the moment, Zuko thought that his sister had gone entirely crazy, but during this flashback, he realised that she hadn't. She had only found what he was looking for.

Inner peace.

All of a sudden, Rongyu lowered, and approached land.

The Southern Air Temple was unfolding in front of them. And with it, a new beginning.


	4. Hello, home

Chapter 4

"You stay here, buddy," he said to Rongyu, as he left him in the roots of the mountain where the Southern Air Temple was located. "I'll bring you food every morning, every afternoon and every evening. If you need anything, I'll be up there." He pointed to the Temple. Rongyu purred and rubbed his head to his master's. "Good boy," Zuko said, affectionately.

His relationship with Rongyu was at times more intimate and affectionate than his relationship with Mai. His wife was usually cold and aloof, but she had her moments; when it was just the two of them, she sometimes actually showed feelings. Rongyu, though, to Zuko's mind at least, couldn't be compared to Mai in any way –he was more than a pet. Rongyu was a friend and a guide. The Fire Lord sometimes felt that this creature was born to be his friend, that he was meant to be his animal guide. Actually, this was Aang's idea –when the dragon was born, he immediately felt that he was supposed to be with Zuko. Just like Appa was supposed to be with Aang.

Zuko left his faithful friend behind, and walked to the entrance of the temple –the last place where he saw his sister. It was just as he had left it –even the yellow leaves that Azula was wiping were there. The autumn air was blowing through his hair; for the first time after decades, he didn't have his ponytail, neither the Fire Lord's topknot. He was not a Fire Lord anymore, after all. And he needed simplicity.

As he crossed the entrance, he found himself in a rocky path, which was probably built by the very first residents of this Air Temple –thousands of years ago. He was walking on history, on the very first days of the Airbenders; of the people that his own family had vanished.

Azula was always proud of the Air Nomad Genocide; she considered it an act of justice, bravery and power of the Fire Nation, another proof that they were meant to be the leaders of the world. Even her _visiting _one of the temples would seem odd to Zuko, let alone her _living _there.

He was carrying a backpack. It was not really heavy –it only contained some clothes and a bed sheet. "I'll probably sleep in one of the rooms inside the temple," he thought. "They're definitely going to be dusty, but how hard is it going to be to clean them? I mean, I've never done that before, but all I have to do is take a handkerchief and… Well… throw the dust away?" He sighed. "I'm probably going to find out at that minute." He scratched his chin. "I'm wondering what I'm going to do except for dusting off the rooms. I should probably study the Air Nomad philosophy. There is a library there, right?" He gasped. "But what am I going to eat?! Grass? I mean, I can't kill animals –that'd be sacrilege, since I am in an Air Temple! So, I'm becoming vegetarian? That's a pity, my servants always made the best b-"

"Hello there."

Zuko gasped, frightened. He turned around and saw a man, at about the age of 20, taking care of the greenery of the area. "Who the hell are you?" he shouted.

The stranger bowed. "My name is Chong," he said, smiling. "And who are you, delightful stranger?"

A voice inside Zuko's mind began screaming. _Who I am? I am the fucking Fire Lord! How can you not know who I am?_ But then, another one, calmer and softer than the first, showed up. _What does it matter? After all, I'm only human –I was born a prince by chance and therefore, I became Fire Lord. I'm not different than the rest of the world_. Zuko decided to follow the second voice and bow to the man himself. "My name is Zuko, nice to meet you."

Chong's eyes widened. "Zuko?" He sighed. "Finally! Your sister had told us that you would eventually come here," he said.

Zuko frowned. "My sister knew that I would come?"

"Yeah! I mean, she had a ridiculously strong instinct. Or she just knows you too well." They started walking towards the Temple. "She was weird. The monks told me that when she first came here, she said that she wanted to conquer the Temple and she called them peas-"

"Monks?!" Zuko gasped. "There are other people residing here as well?"

"There is a whole community of people here," Chong said. "We fancy calling ourselves _Seekers of the Self._ And that's what our life here is all about –seeking the self."

The man frowned. "So, you're something like Air Acolytes?"

"We don't restrict ourselves to the Air Nomad philosophy. Every nation has something to contribute to our path to our true nature. Our base is here only because it is a very peaceful place, circled by virgin nature, away from earthly attachments."

The men reached the Air Temple's courtyard. Zuko had never been there. It was full of blossoming trees. Lemurs were flying here and there in a peculiar dance, and some monks were meditating in a pavilion. Everything seemed to follow a peaceful rhythm –exactly what Zuko needed.

"The guestrooms are in the second floor," Chong said. "Let me take your backpack." Zuko waved him to leave it. "I'll take it by myself. I came here to detach myself from having others serving me –let me do that."

The man smiled. "Your sister used to say that servants are a pleasure for the ones who have never met true pleasure."

_What? Azula said that? _"That doesn't really sound like my sister."

"Yet, it was her."

The voice didn't come from Chong's mouth –another man was standing behind them. He had white hair, but his body didn't seem really old. He was extremely thin, but he seemed full of health and vitality. "I am Monk Hong Hai," he said, in a calm voice. "I was the guide of your sister."

Zuko remained silent. This man had met his sister _and liked her_. Oh, not just liked her. _Changed her_.

The monk laughed. "I suppose it is a great shock for you to learn all these things about your sister's late life, but yes, she was a bright example that we define our own destiny with our choices. It must be in the family." He smiled. "Let's sit, shall we?" He lead Zuko to a bench, and Chong left to continue gardening.

"H…How?" Zuko gasped. "She was evil. _Pure_ evil. How could she possibly change so radically?"

"Why are you here, Zuko?" Hong Hai asked, while petting a baby lemur who had brought him a banana.

"I want to find my inner peace," he said, angrily, "but I don't seem to have the chance to do so, since now, my mind is blown with the discovery that my sister actually stopped being a monster!"

"She never was a monster, Zuko." He peeled the banana. "Nobody is. She was just scarred."

_What?_ He frowned, puzzled and outraged. "What are you talking about?! She wasn't scarred, everybody loved her! She was a prodigy!"

"Not everybody loved her. Your uncle never took her seriously. And your mother always preferred you."

He remained silent, realising to his astonishment that the man was actually _right._

"But of course, as you said, you want to find _your _inner peace. So we have to leave your sister's story for now. Right?" Hong Hai smiled, and patted Zuko's back. A gong hit. "Ah, it's lunch time. I hope you're hungry, Zuko."

Hong Hai rose up, and headed inside the temple. Zuko followed him, and they were lead to the dining room. "Here, go sit with Chong," the monk said, pointing to a table located next to the room's window, "this is where the new recruits sit." He left Zuko behind and sat at the table which was destined to the upper monks.

Zuko sat next to the young fellow, while the voices inside him kept fighting. _How can a Fire Lord accept to sit with the poorest people in the world? Those who have nothing? You are a noble man. You should be honoured. Not set aside, _the first voice was shouting. It reminded him of his father. _Don't fool yourself, my love_, the second one began, _the material possessions of people are in no way related to their honour. Trust me, these people are more honoured and rich than anybody else. Even than you; because they, they are rich by materially possessing nothing, and you, you're a middle-class man when you can control a whole nation._

"Hey, what's up, man?" Chong greeted him. "You'll stay here?"

Zuko frowned. "I-I don't kn-"

Chong laughed. "Since you've come for lunch, you're already considered a resident of our temple. Welcome!"

Zuko smiled awkwardly.

Hong Hai clapped his hands, and everybody's attention turned to him. "I want everybody to greet our new friend," he said loudly, looking at Zuko –who was blushing all over his face. "Oh, come on, don't be shy." Zuko looked around, realising that everybody was staring at him. No speech had ever made him so anxious. "Introduce yourself!" Hong Hai encouraged him.

"H-Hey," he muttered. "Z-Zuko here…" _Crap, why did I say that again? Awkward. Turtleduck. Zuko. _To his surprise, the other residents of the temple smiled. He could see that they knew who he was –the ex Fire Lord – but they understood that he didn't want to be recognised as that. He sighed with relief.

"And why have you come here?" Hong Hai continued. Zuko's eyes widened. Hong Hai gave him a comforting look. _Come on, it's just a part of the process. _He rolled his eyes. "To find my inner peace. And myself."

Everybody rose up from their seat and greeted him. "Welcome to the Temple, Zuko," they said in one voice, which was so warm that made the man feel like home.

After the lunch, he had forgotten he ever lived in the Fire Nation.

It was like this had always been his home.


End file.
